Barwon River - Fyansford - Geelong ---Historic Paper Mill Complex & Workers Cottages
BARWON PAPER MILL COMPLEX On the north side of the river is the Barwon Paper Mill. This mill which is substantially intact , was constructed in 1876 and first came into operation in 1878. The mill produced many kinds of paper during its industrial lifetime which ended in 1923. From approximately 1929 until 1941 the buildings were used by the Hydro Ice Company as cool stores and the manufacture of ice. Since that time they have been put to various uses and at present are privately owned and contain a number of small factories. To provide power for the original Paper Mill, a water race was constructed, sometimes through solid rock, from a point now known as Baum's Weir, downstream for a distance of approximately 1100 metres, to the Paper Mill. The walls of the water race were lined with locally quarried bluestone and the same material was used for the construction of the Mill. The Victorian Heritage Register (1999) affirms… The Barwon paper mill complex, constructed duri